My friend signed up to take a course. She is going to spend the next eight Thursday nights learning about writing and performing stand up comedy.

It’s not for her job. It’s not even a hobby of hers. She is just doing it because it sounded interesting and just a little bit scary.

I really admire her for signing up for this “stretch” activity. I can’t wait to hear about what she learns and experiences.

The cool thing about this is that is will be life changing. She just does not know how yet. She will have a new social circle, new stories and a new confidence from doing things she never thought she would do.

This will have all kind of positive ripples in the rest of her life too. Things at work may suddenly be more interesting or more dynamic. She might find herself with more energy. All kinds of cool things could happen.

On New Year’s Day when I was nursing a headache and some unattractive gas issues, I figured it was probably time to join a gym. Now, I am not so sure. I think I could find something way more satisfying like pole dancing or learning the electric guitar. How about you? What will you learn this year?